Help - I can't feel my toes!

I'm 33, brand new skier, 5'9", 180 pounds, street shoe 10.5 to 11,
slightly wide (can't wear Nikes). My feet pronate significantly (3.5
degrees left, 3 degrees right), which naturally means I have either flat
feet or fallen arches (not sure how to tell which), and my legs are
externally rotated. I also have an irritated sciatic nerve from a back
injury last summer.

I spent a weekend at Sunday River last year and had a blast. This
Christmas, I went again, and after just a few hours my feet were killing
me in the rental boots, so I decided to take the plunge and buy a pair.
Buster Bean at the ski shop tried me in a few boots from Nordica,
Technica, and I think Atomic before settling on a pair of size 27
Performa 7's. I skied a few runs in them, and went back to have them
adjusted; another salesman added some SBS shims to help my pronation,
which really helped my balance.

This weekend I went to Sugarloaf, and within an hour of putting on the
boots, my (nonexistent) arches were in agony, and my pinky and ring toes
were numb. I went to the ski shop, which has won some sort of "best
bootfitting" award from Ski magazine, and Russ spent about four hours
with me, blowing out the toes, cutting the SBS shims better (they were
curling), adding a heel shim, and heating the boots. I was still
getting numb after 15 minutes or so in the store, but we figured it was
time to try a few runs to loosen them up.

So the next morning I went out, and while the arch pain was mostly gone,
my toes were still getting numb after an hour or two. Back to the shop.
I didn't feel the boots pressing anywhere except the ankle, so Russ
ground the ankles. Went back out, still getting numb. Came back, and
Russ was gone, so Ian helped me. We tried a few things, and finally, I
asked - is it possible that the boots themselves are the wrong size?
Sure enough, they were too loose; I should really be in a 26. They
won't normally exchange boots from one ASC shop to another, but the
manager was coming in the next morning and could do it. I decided to
take advantage of the opportunity and upgrade to X-Wave 8's since I knew
I'd outgrow the Performas rapidly. At first they were agony, but after
swapping the footbeds for wintergreen Superfeet they were wonderful.

Monday morning: Manager exchanges the boots for me. We put in the
Superfeet and I hit the slopes for a few hours - sans SBS shims since
they won't fit yet. Big improvement in control, but my outer toes are
still numb. Back to the shop, where Ian blows out the toes, grinds the
ankles, and heats the boots. Still numb. Adds back the heel shims
temporarily, since outer numbness can be from pronation stressing the
metatarsals. Still numb! I have to catch a bus to go home, so I don't
get to hit the shop on my way off the slopes.

I am really frustrated with this. What, if anything, can I do? Options
include:

- Just ski through the pain for 5-10 days before revisiting it. The
boots are new and relatively stiff, and both the boots and footbeds will
adjust to my feet. And once the boots expand, I can reinsert the SBS
shims.

- Try custom footbeds. Ian doesn't recommend this; he says that
footbeds improve performance but diminish comfort compared to Superfeet
since they're firmer.

- Try orthopedic footbeds. Apparently there are some things doctors can
do that ski shops aren't allowed to do in terms of shaping. Again, Ian
recommends against.

- Try a fancy shop with the scanning machine. Internet FAQs make these
sound fairly common, but Russ said that they were only at "super-
specialized" shops for high-performance skiing.

- Something else...

Help! Ideas?

--
Jay Levitt |
Wellesley, MA | Hi!
Faster: jay at jay dot eff-em | Where are we going?
http://www.jay.fm | Why am I in this handbasket?

Jay Levitt wrote:
I'm 33, brand new skier, 5'9", 180 pounds, street shoe 10.5 to 11,
slightly wide (can't wear Nikes). My feet pronate significantly (3.5
degrees left, 3 degrees right), which naturally means I have either flat
feet or fallen arches (not sure how to tell which), and my legs are
externally rotated. I also have an irritated sciatic nerve from a back
injury last summer.

I spent a weekend at Sunday River last year and had a blast. This
Christmas, I went again, and after just a few hours my feet were killing
me in the rental boots, so I decided to take the plunge and buy a pair.
Buster Bean at the ski shop tried me in a few boots from Nordica,
Technica, and I think Atomic before settling on a pair of size 27
Performa 7's. I skied a few runs in them, and went back to have them
adjusted; another salesman added some SBS shims to help my pronation,
which really helped my balance.

This weekend I went to Sugarloaf, and within an hour of putting on the
boots, my (nonexistent) arches were in agony, and my pinky and ring toes
were numb. I went to the ski shop, which has won some sort of "best
bootfitting" award from Ski magazine, and Russ spent about four hours
with me, blowing out the toes, cutting the SBS shims better (they were
curling), adding a heel shim, and heating the boots. I was still
getting numb after 15 minutes or so in the store, but we figured it was
time to try a few runs to loosen them up.

So the next morning I went out, and while the arch pain was mostly gone,
my toes were still getting numb after an hour or two. Back to the shop.
I didn't feel the boots pressing anywhere except the ankle, so Russ
ground the ankles. Went back out, still getting numb. Came back, and
Russ was gone, so Ian helped me. We tried a few things, and finally, I
asked - is it possible that the boots themselves are the wrong size?
Sure enough, they were too loose; I should really be in a 26. They
won't normally exchange boots from one ASC shop to another, but the
manager was coming in the next morning and could do it. I decided to
take advantage of the opportunity and upgrade to X-Wave 8's since I knew
I'd outgrow the Performas rapidly. At first they were agony, but after
swapping the footbeds for wintergreen Superfeet they were wonderful.

Stock footbeds in boots are generally made to be replaced. I have
used Superfeet in the past with some degree of comfort but still
prefer custom foot beds. Read further down.

Yes, X-Wave 8's WILL have a significant improvement in performance
over the Performas. The 8's should also be stiff enough for the
next several years of skiing which, as you guessed, the Performas
simply wouldn't.

Monday morning: Manager exchanges the boots for me. We put in the
Superfeet and I hit the slopes for a few hours - sans SBS shims since
they won't fit yet. Big improvement in control, but my outer toes are
still numb. Back to the shop, where Ian blows out the toes, grinds the
ankles, and heats the boots. Still numb. Adds back the heel shims
temporarily, since outer numbness can be from pronation stressing the
metatarsals. Still numb! I have to catch a bus to go home, so I don't
get to hit the shop on my way off the slopes.

Numbness in extremities may be due to pressure further up your foot/
ankle. Someone who REALLY knows what they are doing can diagnose
and correct this.

I am really frustrated with this. What, if anything, can I do? Options
include:

First, since you have upgraded and resized you boots, I have
to assume that the shell fit is correct, then...

- Just ski through the pain for 5-10 days before revisiting it. The
boots are new and relatively stiff, and both the boots and footbeds will
adjust to my feet. And once the boots expand, I can reinsert the SBS
shims.

Although the liner of the boots will pack out some during the
life of the boot, plastic, since it's resilient, does not
"break-in" like leather. IMO don't try to "tough it out".
It's not worth the pain and you may cause some damage that
will give pain even after the boot is fitting OK. Ask me, I
know. Tried some boots which I KNEW were too narrow. Damage
on the outside knuckle prevents me from wearing my favorite
boots which fit right and make me use my OLD (3 years) boots
that are really too loose.

- Try custom footbeds. Ian doesn't recommend this; he says that
footbeds improve performance but diminish comfort compared to Superfeet
since they're firmer.

Custom footbeds, as you might get from SureFoot (as I did) or
another boot/foot specialty shop will NOT give diminished
comfort compared to Superfeet footbeds. The improvement in
fit will ADD to comfort.

- Try orthopedic footbeds. Apparently there are some things doctors can
do that ski shops aren't allowed to do in terms of shaping. Again, Ian
recommends against.

As I understand it, someone who is licensed to make "orthotics" or
orthotic foot beds can correct some of the mis-shape in you feet,
namely the flatness where custom foot beds only hold your feet to
the shape they are most comfortable with. I've never had true
orthotics in my boots, only in my walking shoes. Again, what I
said about custom foot beds.

- Try a fancy shop with the scanning machine. Internet FAQs make these
sound fairly common, but Russ said that they were only at "super-
specialized" shops for high-performance skiing.

Clearly the shop you went to doesn't have a scanning machine,
otherwise, "Russ" would be extolling its virtues. Right?

AND if boot/foot shops were "super-specialized" for "high-
performance skiing" there wouldn't be so many of them. Right?
There are so many of them because they do a good job of
making skiing comfortable for the large mass of general skiers.

I've found two so far. One is SureFoot at Killington, but be
aware that not all SureFoot stores (it's a chain) are created
equal. And Tahoe Boot 'n Ski Works in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

Now, there are truly "high-end" bootfitters. There is one in
Aspen whose name escapes me and Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthotics Lab http://www.gmolfoot.com/ who not only makes your
boots fit correctly, he can shape your boots so that you/your
legs align correctly with your skis. GMOL is right at the
mountain at Stratton so that you actually ski with the fitter
as the work progresses. I've had friends who have had Greg
work on their boots but I have not felt the need.

- Something else...

That pretty much covers it. There are the options, see where
you want to go. Monique on rec.skiing.alpine.moderated has
had a fairly lengthy thread on her tales of woe and wails of
toe about her boot fitting episodes. Curiously enough, she
also bought X-Wave (8 I think) boots.

There is a certain amount of work involved in getting boots
to fit right and be comfortable, especially for people with
feet like yours and mine. I'm not satisfied until I
can wear my boots for 8 hours straight and get up the next
morning and do it again.

Help! Ideas?

In article , says...
- Try custom footbeds. Ian doesn't recommend this; he says that
footbeds improve performance but diminish comfort compared to Superfeet
since they're firmer.

Custom footbeds, as you might get from SureFoot (as I did) or
another boot/foot specialty shop will NOT give diminished
comfort compared to Superfeet footbeds. The improvement in
fit will ADD to comfort.

That's what I would think, too, and I was surprised.. maybe there are
different types of custom insoles and he was speaking to the ones that
the ASC shops install. Googling here, I did see a post from "Doug" on
3/7/03 that seemed to say Surefoot was useless, though it wasn't clear
why... search Google Groups for "computer-image uncorrected-foot" to
find it.

- Try a fancy shop with the scanning machine. Internet FAQs make these
sound fairly common, but Russ said that they were only at "super-
specialized" shops for high-performance skiing.

Clearly the shop you went to doesn't have a scanning machine,
otherwise, "Russ" would be extolling its virtues. Right?

Precisely... Also, he's been doing this for 30 years, and I get the idea
he doesn't trust newfangled technology. I've seen that in a variety of
trades; people like the old ways of doing things and trusting their
"experience" vs. actual measurement. Me, I want to get a real-time 3D
computer-enhanced holographic image of everything I can.

I've found two so far. One is SureFoot at Killington, but be
aware that not all SureFoot stores (it's a chain) are created
equal.

No problem - Killington is just a few hours away.

Now, there are truly "high-end" bootfitters. There is one in
Aspen whose name escapes me and Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthotics Lab http://www.gmolfoot.com/ who not only makes your
boots fit correctly, he can shape your boots so that you/your
legs align correctly with your skis. GMOL is right at the
mountain at Stratton

Wowza. Stratton is 2.5 hours from me. I think it's time for a day
trip. I've heard them mentioned here before, and only in glowing terms.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give GMOL a call tomorrow.

--
Jay Levitt |
Wellesley, MA | Hi!
Faster: jay at jay dot eff-em | Where are we going?
http://www.jay.fm | Why am I in this handbasket?

Jay Levitt wrote:
In article , says...

- Try custom footbeds. Ian doesn't recommend this; he says that
footbeds improve performance but diminish comfort compared to Superfeet
since they're firmer.


Custom footbeds, as you might get from SureFoot (as I did) or
another boot/foot specialty shop will NOT give diminished
comfort compared to Superfeet footbeds. The improvement in
fit will ADD to comfort.


That's what I would think, too, and I was surprised.. maybe there are
different types of custom insoles and he was speaking to the ones that
the ASC shops install. Googling here, I did see a post from "Doug" on
3/7/03 that seemed to say Surefoot was useless, though it wasn't clear
why... search Google Groups for "computer-image uncorrected-foot" to
find it.


- Try a fancy shop with the scanning machine. Internet FAQs make these
sound fairly common, but Russ said that they were only at "super-
specialized" shops for high-performance skiing.


Clearly the shop you went to doesn't have a scanning machine,
otherwise, "Russ" would be extolling its virtues. Right?


Precisely... Also, he's been doing this for 30 years, and I get the idea
he doesn't trust newfangled technology. I've seen that in a variety of
trades; people like the old ways of doing things and trusting their
"experience" vs. actual measurement. Me, I want to get a real-time 3D
computer-enhanced holographic image of everything I can.

Custom foot beds have been available in some form for at least
20 years. I've had them in my boots for 15 years. There is
nothing particularly new here. Oh, maybe the use of a computer
to determine the best fit, but we always had ways of molding
a foot bed to your foot. My first one was made from an impression
of my foot and then molded in cork. Worked great for 10 years.

I've had one other set made by manual means and my latest
are SureFoot which is not really a totally custom footbed.
They have a range of about 150 patterns in all sizes. The
computer simply decides which one is the best fit. For me
this was good enough, but other shops can and do make full-
on custom foot beds.

I've found two so far. One is SureFoot at Killington, but be
aware that not all SureFoot stores (it's a chain) are created
equal.


No problem - Killington is just a few hours away.


Now, there are truly "high-end" bootfitters. There is one in
Aspen whose name escapes me and Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthotics Lab http://www.gmolfoot.com/ who not only makes your
boots fit correctly, he can shape your boots so that you/your
legs align correctly with your skis. GMOL is right at the
mountain at Stratton


Wowza. Stratton is 2.5 hours from me. I think it's time for a day
trip. I've heard them mentioned here before, and only in glowing terms.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give GMOL a call tomorrow.

It might be a great idea to get an evaluation from Greg
Hoffman, but his service may be just more than you can
justify. You've already spent in the vicinity of $400
for boots. He'll ask you to spend that much or more again.
It'll be up to you to decide if it's worth it.

You probably wouldn't do badly to go to the bootfitter
that Dave Stallard recommended in Brookline. My advice would
be to find a good guy and stick with him, personally.
Find out his schedule and plan return trips when he's there.

SureFoot, as you may have heard, and I said earlier, has
a spotty record. I'm delighted with my custom inner soles
and I have feet at least as difficult as yours. One pair
of boots came out of fitting beautifully and one pair is
just plain too narrow and will never work, but the inner
soles will go into another pair of boots. If you should
come to Killington's SureFoot, ask for "Ray", he's the
manager. If he's not in, find out when he will be in. The
other guys seem to me to be seasonal employees with not
enough experience.

VtSkier

Also Sprach VtSkier :

I've found two so far. One is SureFoot at Killington, but be
aware that not all SureFoot stores (it's a chain) are created
equal. And Tahoe Boot 'n Ski Works in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

Now, there are truly "high-end" bootfitters. There is one in
Aspen whose name escapes me and Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthotics Lab http://www.gmolfoot.com/ who not only makes your
boots fit correctly, he can shape your boots so that you/your
legs align correctly with your skis. GMOL is right at the
mountain at Stratton so that you actually ski with the fitter
as the work progresses. I've had friends who have had Greg
work on their boots but I have not felt the need.

Treated my Pop to a fitting at GMOL last Christmas. He's always had a
poor fit in stock boots, and was at the point where he would only ski 3 or
4 runs a day because of the pain. He can now be out all day with no
problem.

Dan

--
Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass.

-- Frank Zappa

Marshall Banana wrote:
Also Sprach VtSkier :


I've found two so far. One is SureFoot at Killington, but be
aware that not all SureFoot stores (it's a chain) are created
equal. And Tahoe Boot 'n Ski Works in South Lake Tahoe, CA.


Now, there are truly "high-end" bootfitters. There is one in
Aspen whose name escapes me and Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthotics Lab http://www.gmolfoot.com/ who not only makes your
boots fit correctly, he can shape your boots so that you/your
legs align correctly with your skis. GMOL is right at the
mountain at Stratton so that you actually ski with the fitter
as the work progresses. I've had friends who have had Greg
work on their boots but I have not felt the need.


Treated my Pop to a fitting at GMOL last Christmas. He's always had a
poor fit in stock boots, and was at the point where he would only ski 3 or
4 runs a day because of the pain. He can now be out all day with no
problem.

Dan

Kewl, I hear similar reports from my friends who have gone there.
Even though I have never been in his shop, I can't recommend
him highly enough.
VtSkier

In article , says...
There is one in
Aspen whose name escapes me and Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthotics Lab http://www.gmolfoot.com/ who not only makes your
boots fit correctly, he can shape your boots so that you/your
legs align correctly with your skis. GMOL is right at the
mountain at Stratton so that you actually ski with the fitter
as the work progresses. I've had friends who have had Greg
work on their boots but I have not felt the need.

Well, the bootfitter at Wilderness House is only in on Tuesdays, and I'd
rather work with someone right on a mountain where we can tweak
together, so I made an appointment for this morning at GMOL. (Stupidly,
I didn't feed the cats, so rather than staying to enjoy the aftermath of
the blizzard, I had to drive home this evening.)

Greg is off at some big conference till February, but Bill there took
good care of me. He's not a podiatrist, though, and I had some
confusion about that; when I made the appointment, I asked if making an
appointment with someone else was losing out on Greg's ability to
prescribe corrective (as opposed to compensative) footbeds, and was told
that "so-and-so is also an orthopod"; I wasn't sure if that was the same
as an orthopedist (doctor) or a pedorthist (footbed maker), and so when
I asked Bill about corrective insoles for daily wear and he demurred, I
didn't press the matter. That said, I learned:

1. Yes, 26 is a very aggressive fit for my foot size. Not too small,
necessarily, but as he put it, a "race fit" - it's quite snug for a
beginner and it's going to take some getting used to, and some
stretching. However, I can move my toes vertically and horizontally
when I'm flexing the boot, so it's ok.

2. Arch cramps can be caused by calf tightness. Arch cramps can be
relieved by calf stretches.

3. Nerves don't cross, so lateral numbness means lateral nerve
compression, and ditto for medial numbness. The Sugarloaf bootfitters
weren't sure about that, so had we spent some time grinding out the
medial ankle pressure points in the hopes it might alleviate the lateral
numbness. No such luck.

4. Much of the numbness is worse when I'm sitting, say for lunch, and
that's just the way it's going to be with tight boots. Solution: Take
off the boots when I'm sitting, say for lunch.

5. I have a leg-length discrepancy. Actually, as we discussed, I know
that I don't really; when I go to PT and she stretches my hip out
properly, my apparent leg length is fine. But, as he pointed out,
"that's nice." In general, I'm always going to be tighter on the one
side, so he added a post to one boot and planed the other sole so I'd
feel balanced. Should some miracle occur and I become permanently more
flexible, he'll just do the converse.

6. An interesting test that covers both internal canting and external
sole thickness is to rock from side to side in the boots and feel the
edges of your "ski" (e.g. boot). When both boots lift and lower at the
same time, you're all set.

7. Despite what some bootfitters say, it IS a good idea to break in the
boots by walking around the house. Bill said he doesn't even ski in
boots till he's given them 10-12 hours.

Total bill was roughly $300 for custom footbeds, heel lifts, and labor
for the post, sole planing and grinding. As far as I can tell, my boots
are now as good as they're going to get from modifications, and it's
time to ski and walk as much as I can in them.

Thanks, all, for the suggestions, and I'll report back later in the
season!

--
Jay Levitt |
Wellesley, MA | Hi!
Faster: jay at jay dot eff-em | Where are we going?
http://www.jay.fm | Why am I in this handbasket?

Jay Levitt wrote:
[snip]
1. Yes, 26 is a very aggressive fit for my foot size. Not too small,
necessarily, but as he put it, a "race fit" - it's quite snug for a
beginner and it's going to take some getting used to, and some
stretching. However, I can move my toes vertically and horizontally
when I'm flexing the boot, so it's ok.
[snip]
4. Much of the numbness is worse when I'm sitting, say for lunch, and
that's just the way it's going to be with tight boots. Solution: Take
off the boots when I'm sitting, say for lunch.

Why do you _want_ a race fit? I mean, they're your feet, but you're a
beginner, so what are you getting out of it besides a certain amount of
hassle and discomfort?

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.

In article ,
says...
1. Yes, 26 is a very aggressive fit for my foot size. Not too small,
necessarily, but as he put it, a "race fit" - it's quite snug for a
beginner and it's going to take some getting used to, and some
stretching. However, I can move my toes vertically and horizontally
when I'm flexing the boot, so it's ok.
[snip]
4. Much of the numbness is worse when I'm sitting, say for lunch, and
that's just the way it's going to be with tight boots. Solution: Take
off the boots when I'm sitting, say for lunch.

Why do you _want_ a race fit? I mean, they're your feet, but you're a
beginner, so what are you getting out of it besides a certain amount of
hassle and discomfort?

Well, I didn't, necessarily... I had originally been fitted with size 27
Performa 7's at Sunday River. When I complained of numbness at
Sugarloaf, the bootfitter told me that I should really be in a 26, so I
took him at his word and got the free exchange (since both are ASC
resorts), and took the opportunity to upgrade to X-Waves, which are also
a tighter fit. Now I find out that that's not necessarily true, but I'd
already driven three hours from Boston to Stratton, and so I would have
had to go back home, drive 5 to Sugarloaf, exchange the boots yet again,
and then go back to Stratton for the footbeds.

I suspect in the long run I'll be happier with the tighter boots, and
the pedorthist said they aren't tight enough to actually cause problems,
just some temporary discomfort, so I decided to stay with them. They
don't hurt, or anything - they're just snug, and my toes have no room
when I'm not flexing. Plus, I can really feel the difference in control
and feedback, though it's hard to say how much of that is
X-Wave vs. Performa, and how much is 26 vs. 27.

--
Jay Levitt |
Wellesley, MA | Hi!
Faster: jay at jay dot eff-em | Where are we going?
http://www.jay.fm | Why am I in this handbasket?

Jay Levitt wrote:
In article , says...

There is one in
Aspen whose name escapes me and Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthotics Lab http://www.gmolfoot.com/ who not only makes your
boots fit correctly, he can shape your boots so that you/your
legs align correctly with your skis. GMOL is right at the
mountain at Stratton so that you actually ski with the fitter
as the work progresses. I've had friends who have had Greg
work on their boots but I have not felt the need.


Well, the bootfitter at Wilderness House is only in on Tuesdays, and I'd
rather work with someone right on a mountain where we can tweak
together, so I made an appointment for this morning at GMOL. (Stupidly,
I didn't feed the cats, so rather than staying to enjoy the aftermath of
the blizzard, I had to drive home this evening.)

Greg is off at some big conference till February, but Bill there took
good care of me. He's not a podiatrist, though, and I had some
confusion about that; when I made the appointment, I asked if making an
appointment with someone else was losing out on Greg's ability to
prescribe corrective (as opposed to compensative) footbeds, and was told
that "so-and-so is also an orthopod"; I wasn't sure if that was the same
as an orthopedist (doctor) or a pedorthist (footbed maker), and so when
I asked Bill about corrective insoles for daily wear and he demurred, I
didn't press the matter. That said, I learned:

1. Yes, 26 is a very aggressive fit for my foot size. Not too small,
necessarily, but as he put it, a "race fit" - it's quite snug for a
beginner and it's going to take some getting used to, and some
stretching. However, I can move my toes vertically and horizontally
when I'm flexing the boot, so it's ok.

2. Arch cramps can be caused by calf tightness. Arch cramps can be
relieved by calf stretches.

3. Nerves don't cross, so lateral numbness means lateral nerve
compression, and ditto for medial numbness. The Sugarloaf bootfitters
weren't sure about that, so had we spent some time grinding out the
medial ankle pressure points in the hopes it might alleviate the lateral
numbness. No such luck.

4. Much of the numbness is worse when I'm sitting, say for lunch, and
that's just the way it's going to be with tight boots. Solution: Take
off the boots when I'm sitting, say for lunch.

5. I have a leg-length discrepancy. Actually, as we discussed, I know
that I don't really; when I go to PT and she stretches my hip out
properly, my apparent leg length is fine. But, as he pointed out,
"that's nice." In general, I'm always going to be tighter on the one
side, so he added a post to one boot and planed the other sole so I'd
feel balanced. Should some miracle occur and I become permanently more
flexible, he'll just do the converse.

6. An interesting test that covers both internal canting and external
sole thickness is to rock from side to side in the boots and feel the
edges of your "ski" (e.g. boot). When both boots lift and lower at the
same time, you're all set.

7. Despite what some bootfitters say, it IS a good idea to break in the
boots by walking around the house. Bill said he doesn't even ski in
boots till he's given them 10-12 hours.

Total bill was roughly $300 for custom footbeds, heel lifts, and labor
for the post, sole planing and grinding. As far as I can tell, my boots
are now as good as they're going to get from modifications, and it's
time to ski and walk as much as I can in them.

Thanks, all, for the suggestions, and I'll report back later in the
season!

Please do report back. $300 is a great deal if everything
works as advertised. A full treatment at SureFoot is
$200 with much less customizing.

VtSkier